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Parking Lot Eyed For Trail Users

11/16/2012 12:00:00 AM

By Bob Dohr

The research is in the early stages, but there's a possibility that a small parking area between Tacoma Beach Road and the southerly approach to the Bayview Bridge could be accessed by users of the Ahnapee State Trail.

The City of Sturgeon Bay's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board is looking into it.

Currently there's a sign on the access road to the lot that reads "No Trespassing - Bridge Tenders Only."

At their November 1 meeting, board members were under the impression that they'd need to check with the county about using the lot for such a purpose.

But it appears the parcel is owned by the city.

We spoke with Door County Highway Commissioner John Kolodziej. He says the state acquired the parcel when the bridge and the bypass went in. But after that some of it was given back as surplus property.

"Some of it went to the city, some of it went to adjacent property owners," says Kolodziej. "But that particular piece, where that cul-de-sac is and that little access road is, that's all city owned."

The steps that lead from the lot up to the trail are on state right-of-way, according to Kolodziej.

Sturgeon Bay Community Development Director Marty Olejniczak says the lot is in a good spot for trail users, especially if the county and the state are successful in filling in the gap that exists in the trail between Neenah Avenue and where the trail picks up again near the intersection of Clay Banks Road and Tacoma Beach Road.